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H.R. 726

U.S. House•House Floor Calendar

Summary

H.R. 726, the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025, was introduced in the House on Jan 24, 2025 by Rep. Troy Downing (R) with 1 co-sponsor. It last saw action on Aug 27, 2026: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 670.

Record

Text

H.R. 726 has 1 co-sponsor.

hb726/introduced.txt
IB
  Union Calendar No. 670
  119TH CONGRESS
  2D SESSION
  H. R. 726
  [Report No. 119–769]
  To amend the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 to make
  improvements to that Act, and for other purposes.
  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  JANUARY 24, 2025
  Mr. DOWNING (for himself and Mr. ZINKE) introduced the following bill;
  which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
  AUGUST 27, 2026
  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
  House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
  [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
  [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 24, 2025]
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  A BILL
  To amend the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act
  of 2010 to make improvements to that Act, and for
  other purposes.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
  2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
   SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Crow Tribe Water
  5 Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025’’.
   SEC. 2. CROW TRIBE WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT.
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 403 of the Crow Tribe
  8 Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–291;
  9 124 Stat. 3097) is amended—
(1) by striking paragraph (11) and inserting the
following:
‘‘(11)        MR&I  PROJECT.—The  term   ‘MR&I
Project’ means an activity described in clauses (i)
through (iii) of section 411(e)(3)(F).’’; and
(2) in paragraph (12)—
(A) in the paragraph heading, by striking
‘‘SYSTEM’’ and inserting ‘‘PROJECTS’’; and
(B) in subparagraphs (A) through (C), by
striking ‘‘System’’ each place it appears and in-
serting ‘‘Projects’’.
(b) REPEAL OF MR&I SYSTEM.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 406 of the Crow Tribe
Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law
111–291; 124 Stat. 3102) is repealed.
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(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents for the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (Public
Law 111–291; 124 Stat. 3064) is amended by striking
the item relating to section 406.
(c) CROW SETTLEMENT FUND.—Section 411 of the
  6 Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 (Public
  7 Law 111–291; 124 Stat. 3113) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘to be adminis-
tered by the Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘to be managed,
invested, and distributed by the Secretary and to re-
main available until expended, withdrawn, or re-
verted to the general fund of the Treasury, consisting
of amounts deposited in the Fund under subsection
(b), together with any investment earnings, including
interest, earned on those amounts,’’;
(2) in subsection (c)—
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘System’’
and inserting ‘‘Projects’’; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(5)(A) The MR&I Projects Account, to be estab-
lished as soon as practicable after the date of enact-
ment of the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement
Amendments Act of 2025, consisting of—
‘‘(i) amounts made available pursuant
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to paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 414(b)
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that are appropriated after the date of en-
actment of the Crow Tribe Water Rights
Settlement Amendments Act of 2025; and
‘‘(ii) amounts to be deposited pursuant
to section 414(h)(2).
‘‘(B) Amounts deposited into the MR&I Projects
Account shall be further deposited into the special
joint signature account named ‘MR&I Account’ estab-
lished pursuant to the agreement with the Tribe dated
September 13, 2012, prior to any investment earnings
accruing or becoming available.’’;
(3) in subsection (e)—
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara-
graph (C) and inserting the following:
‘‘(C) the American Indian Trust Fund
Management Reform Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C.
4001 et seq.).’’; and
(B) in paragraph (3)—
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking
‘‘through (E)’’ and inserting ‘‘through (F)’’;
(ii) in subparagraph (E)—
(I) in the subparagraph heading,
by striking ‘‘SYSTEM’’ and inserting
‘‘PROJECTS’’; and
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(II) by striking ‘‘System’’ each
place  it      appears  and        inserting
‘‘Projects’’; and
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(F) MR&I  PROJECTS ACCOUNT.—Funds
from the MR&I Projects Account shall be used
for expenditures by the Tribe in accordance with
the following:
‘‘(i) PRIORITY USE OF FUNDS.—The
Tribe shall use funds from the MR&I
Projects Account—
‘‘(I) to plan, permit, design, engi-
neer, construct, reconstruct, replace, re-
habilitate, operate, or repair water
production, treatment, or delivery in-
frastructure, including for domestic
and municipal use or wastewater in-
frastructure; and
‘‘(II) to comply with applicable
environmental laws for the activities
described in subclause (I).
‘‘(ii) OTHER USE OF FUNDS.—After
providing written notice to the Secretary
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that on-Reservation MR&I projects de-
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scribed in clause (i) are complete, the Tribe
may use funds remaining in the MR&I
Projects Account to purchase on-Reservation
land with water rights.’’; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(i) TITLE TO INFRASTRUCTURE.—Title to, control
  7 over, and operation of any project constructed using funds
  8 from the MR&I Projects Account shall remain in the Tribe.
‘‘(j) OPERATION, MAINTENANCE,  AND  REPLACE-
    MENT.—The Federal Government shall have no obligation
  11 to pay for the operation, maintenance, or replacement of
  12 any MR&I Project.’’.
(d) YELLOWTAIL DAM, MONTANA.—Subsection (b)(1)
  14 of section 412 of the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement
  15 Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–291; 124 Stat. 3116) is
  16 amended by striking ‘‘15 years’’ and inserting ‘‘20 years’’.
(e) FUNDING.—Section 414 of the Crow Tribe Water
  18 Rights Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–291; 124
  19 Stat. 3120) is amended in subsection (e)—
(1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘SYS-
TEM’’ and inserting ‘‘PROJECTS’’; and
(2)        by  striking  ‘‘System’’  and        inserting
‘‘Projects’’.
(f) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
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(1) Section 403(9) of the Crow Tribe Water
Rights Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–291;
124 Stat. 3098) is amended by striking ‘‘(25 U.S.C.
450b)’’ and inserting ‘‘(25 U.S.C. 5304)’’.
(2) Section 410(e)(1) of the Crow Tribe Water
Rights Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–291;
124 Stat. 3112) is amended in subparagraph (C), by
striking ‘‘agreements with the Tribe required by sec-
tions 405(a) and 406(a)’’ and inserting ‘‘agreement
with the Tribe required by section 405(a)’’.
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  Union Calendar No. 670
119TH CONGRESS
   2D SESSION       H. R. 726
  [Report No. 119–769]
  H726
  A BILL
  E:\BILLS\H726.RH
To amend the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement
  Act of 2010 to make improvements to that Act,
  and for other purposes.
  Sfmt 6651
  AUGUST 27, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
  mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union,
  Fmt 6651
  and ordered to be printed
  Frm 00010
  PO 00000
  Jkt 069200
  21:27 Aug 27, 2026
  VerDate Sep 11 2014
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Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2025-01-24
  2. Passed House
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

CRS Summary

The summaries are the Congressional Research Service’s, one per stage. Read them in full.

Introduced in House Jan 24, 2025

hb726/introduced-in-house.md

Shown Here:
Introduced in House (01/24/2025)

Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025

This bill revises the water rights settlement agreement entered into by the Crow Tribe of Montana and Montana.

The Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 ratified, authorized, and confirmed the water rights compact between the tribe and Montana. Among other provisions, this settlement act authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to plan, design and construct the following two major projects on the Crow Reservation: (1) the rehabilitation and improvement of the Crow Irrigation Project (CIP); and (2) the planning, design, and construction of the MR&I System (the municipal, rural, and industrial water system of the Crow Reservation).

Among other provisions, the bill revises the settlement act to

  • replace references to the MR&I System with MR&I Projects;
  • establish a nontrust, interest-bearing account (to be known as the Crow CIP Implementation Account) to allow Reclamation to continue to work on the rehabilitation of the CIP;
  • create a new MR&I Projects Account, through which the tribe must use funds for activities related to water production, treatment, or delivery infrastructure; and
  • extend by five years (to 2030) the period during which the tribe has the exclusive right to construct hydropower facilities on the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam in Montana.

Sponsors

Rep. Troy Downing (R) sponsors H.R. 726, and 1 member has co-sponsored it from the day it was introduced.

Committees

H.R. 726 went before 1 committee: Natural Resources.

Natural Resources
Natural Resources
Reported By · Aug 27, 2026 · 395 Bills

Actions

H.R. 726 has taken 6 actions since Jan 24, 2025, the latest on Aug 27, 2026.

ChamberAction
Aug 27, 2026
House
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-769.Natural Resources Committee
Aug 27, 2026
House
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 670.
Jul 15, 2026
House
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session HeldNatural Resources Committee
Jul 15, 2026
House
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.Natural Resources Committee
Jan 24, 2025
House
Introduced in House

Votes

H.R. 726 has not gone to a roll call.

1 bill is related to H.R. 726, as Identical bill.

Titles

H.R. 726 goes by 4 titles, 2 of them short titles.

  • Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025 — Short Title(s) as Reported to House
  • Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025 — Display Title
  • Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025 — Short Title(s) as Introduced
  • To amend the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 to make improvements to that Act, and for other purposes. — Official Title as Introduced

Lobbying

2 clients hired 2 firms and 7 registered lobbyists who named H.R. 726 in 7 quarterly filings, 2025 to 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.

Filed under Indian/Native American Affairs, Agriculture, Animals, Budget/Appropriations.

Clients

Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.

ClientBusinessStateFirmsFilingsReported
CROW TRIBE OF INDIANSadvisory firm on behalf of federally recognized Native American tribeDistrict of Columbia16$180K
ANIMAL WELLNESS ACTION—District of Columbia11—

Firms

Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.

RegistrantClientsFilingsReported
WISE CAPITAL STRATEGY, LLC16$180K
ANIMAL WELLNESS ACTION11—

Lobbyists

Named on the filings that cite the bill.

LobbyistFirmsClientsFilings
MATTHEW WISE116
DESIREE BENDER111
DON GREEN111
NATALIE AHWESH111
TAMARA DRAKE111
WAYNE PACELLE111
ZACH BENNETT111

Filings

The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.

ClientRegistrantPeriodReportedDocument
ANIMAL WELLNESS ACTIONANIMAL WELLNESS ACTION2025 first_quarter$150K1st Quarter - Report
CROW TRIBE OF INDIANSWISE CAPITAL STRATEGY, LLC2026 second_quarter$30K2nd Quarter - Report
CROW TRIBE OF INDIANSWISE CAPITAL STRATEGY, LLC2026 first_quarter$30K1st Quarter - Report
CROW TRIBE OF INDIANSWISE CAPITAL STRATEGY, LLC2025 fourth_quarter$30K4th Quarter - Report
CROW TRIBE OF INDIANSWISE CAPITAL STRATEGY, LLC2025 third_quarter$30K3rd Quarter - Report
CROW TRIBE OF INDIANSWISE CAPITAL STRATEGY, LLC2025 second_quarter$30K2nd Quarter - Report
CROW TRIBE OF INDIANSWISE CAPITAL STRATEGY, LLC2025 first_quarter$30K1st Quarter - Report

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 726 under Native Americans, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 5 legislative subjects.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 726’s is Native Americans.

hr726/policy-areas.txt
Native AmericansAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArmed Forces and National SecurityArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Legislative Subjects

H.R. 726 carries 5 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from Dams and canals to Water use and supply.

hr726/subjects.txt
Dams and canalsGovernment trust fundsIndian lands and resources rightsMontanaWater use and supply

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 726, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 15 (Friday, January 24, 2025)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. DOWNING:H.R. 726.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Clause 3 of Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution.[Page H395]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com